Rich Stevens' Bird Trips
February 2003
Search for Owls 2/22
Bryan Ehlmann, Sue Dorsey and I searched for Long-eared & Short-eared Owls.
We found two Long-eared Owls at Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County).
Not much else was around the western campgrounds.
We located a flock of Horned Lark, which included 5 Lapland Longspurs.
They were about 1 mile South of CR 84 & CR 85.
No owls were located at Crow Valley Campground or Briggsdale Cemetery.
We also searched the Work Center area without success.
Our trek took us to Wellington WLA (Larimer) for the last hours
of daylight. The weather quickly went downhill quickly and no
Short-eared Owls were found.
Return to the South Platte River 2/21
I hiked the South Platte River from 88th avenue to I270 and back (with
a side trip along Clear Creek to York). Again the weather started out
nice with temperatures near 50 and slight winds. By 1:30pm, winds
reached 20mph and the temperature dropped 10-15 degrees.
No Barrow's Goldeneyes were observed for the first time in two months.
I could not locate the Harris's Sparrow at the confluence of the
Platte River and Clear Creek. I miss it about 1 out of 3 trips.
Ring-necked Duck numbers were down 50 percent from last Friday.
Northern Shoveler numbers up 20 percent (and over 1000 birds).
Two Redhead Ducks and a Pied-billed Grebe were interesting.
American Crows numbered over 300 birds. Only one flock of 17
American Tree Sparrows was found. Two Song Sparrows were the
only sparrows observed along Clear Creek part of my hike.
The two Long-tailed Ducks were observed again at the pond 0.3 miles
east of Dahlia & 88th avenue. I had missed them on my two previous
visits. The two Mute Swans found a few weeks ago are still there.
They swim around the pond next to the Wildlife Office located on
88th avenue a little east of the Dahlia Ponds.
Search for Owls 2/18-2/20
Bryan Ehlmann, Steve Spencer, another cobirder, and I conducted an owl survey
in Las Animas county. We hiked into Lake Dorothey WLA from the north side.
We stayed overnight, testing some camping equipment for a friend of mine.
This included the site of the Acorn Woodpeckers (1996), which are long gone.
Two Northern Saw-whet Owls were heard overnight near the top of Bobblers Knob.
A Great Horned Owl was near Lake Dorothey. A local rancher pointed out a
roost of 12-14 Long-eared Owls. Other birds were few and far between.
We stopped at Cottonwood Canyon on Wednesday night. Western Screech-Owls
called around 4:30am near the camping area along Carrizo Creek. In the
morning we found 2 or 3 Rufous-crowned Sparrows in their usual location
(1.4 miles east of the camping area). A few Canyon Towhees moved about.
We ran upon one Greater Roadrunner and 3 Wild Turkeys in the canyon on
the drive to Carrizo Picnic Area. A flock of Mountain Bluebirds were
on the telephone wires at CR M & CR 7.
Carrizo Picnic Area was quiet. The only bird found was a Bewick's Wren.
Hike Along South Platte River & 88th Avenue 2/14
"This afternoon four of us joined leader Bryan Ehlmann on the
CoBus bird trip to the S. Platte River at 88th and Colorado Blvd.
Winds were strong most of the four hours and it started to rain
hard at 5:00pm. We hiked from Colorado blvd to highway 224
with a mile side trip along Clear Creek to York.
Two pairs of Barrow’s Goldeneyes were seen from the same place.
One pair was on the Platte even with the water tower. The other
pair was on the southern one-third of the northern West Gravel Lake.
There was no shortage of Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, and Ring-necked
Ducks. Two hundred Lesser Scaups were on the northern East Gravel Lakes.
Smaller groups of Common Goldeneyes, Mallards, Northern Pintails,
Green-winged Teal, and Common Mergansers were around also.
We walked the northern side of Clear Creek without finding the Harris’
Sparrow. Thanks to Richard Stevens who asked now where would I hide
from the wind if I were a sparrow; he walked right to the bushes where
the Harris’ Sparrow, 8 White-crowned Sparrows, and 2 Tree Sparrows
were hiding. They were 20 yards west of the southern end of the
bridge over Clear Creek and at the Platte River. The sparrows were
in the bushes below the hill and along the creek. These bushes were
directly north of the large dead wood pile on the south side of Clear Creek.
An adult Bald Eagle was in a cottonwood tree south of the water tower.
A female Northern Harrier and Prairie Falcon hunted along the river too!"
(SD)
Aurora Reservoir & Sand Creek 2/13
This morning Bryan Ehlmann & I hiked the 8.2 miles around
Aurora Reservoir. The weather was nice with temperatures in
the 50s; winds were mild.
Unfortunately, few birds were around. Many Canada Geese,
Mallards, Gadwall, Redheads, and a few Common Mergansers
were about it. The water level is falling fast during our drought.
We stopped at Sand Creek at Airport Road on our return trip.
It took about 10 minutes to locate the Red-bellied Woodpecker
that has been 0.5 miles west of Airport Road for the past six weeks.
The bird has been observed in the 4 cottonwood trees on the hill
50 yards South of the Tree Bridge (0.5 miles west of Airport Road)
on 4 of my last 5 trips to the area (time of day 2:30pm to 3:30pm).
He eventually flew to the cottonwoods below the hill and to the
east-northeast. We wanted another look at him and took another
30 minutes to relocate the bird.
A Ferruginous Hawk stood in a tree in the same area. I usually
see this hawk about 1.5 miles west in the cottonwoods next to the
Roadway Trucking Company near Sable Blvd & 30th Avenue.
Six males and two female Downy Woodpeckers were also in the area.
Search for the Larimer County Gyrfalcon 2/12
Bryan Ehlmann & I drove up to Simpson Ponds Wildlife Area
in the late afternoon for an extensive hunt for the Gyrfalcon.
We drove around the area for approximately 4 hours and
did not find the bird. Raptors were scarce during our visit.
We traveled to Wellington Wildlife Area and searched for any
owls (particularly Short-eared Owls) for the last hour of daylight.
Two Great Horned Owls were in the section northeast of CR 3.
No Short-eared Owls could be found.
We headed west and checked Rist Canyon west of Fort Collins
for Northern Pygmy-Owls. Again no owls were found.
Search for Rosy Finches 2/10
Chris Berry from Minnesota and I drove to the mountains in search
of Rosy Finches. Winds were strong all day; temperatures cold.
Access to Guanella Pass was not possible without a 4-wheel drive
today because of recent snowstorms.
We found only Brown-capped & Gray-crowned Rosy Finches at the
feeder next to Lift #1 at Loveland Ski Basin (Clear Creek County).
The White-throated Sparrow made two appearances during our 2-hour stay.
The rather tame Blue Grouse searched for handouts below lift #7.
He has been around for about 5 weeks now and comes down to take
food from skiers' hands. He hopped right up on a picnic table,
waits, and watches for anyone with food.
We stopped for 10 minutes at the pond at the Blue River Waste
Treatment Plant along highway 9 (3.0 miles North of Interstate 70).
Fourteen Barrow's Goldeneyes swam around this small pond.
As we drove up, all three species of Rosy Finches were visiting
the many feeders at 409 South 5th Street in Kremmling.
Return to Sand Creek 2/7
I decided to see if the Red-bellied Woodpecker had made it through
the snowstorms and cold temperatures of the past several days.
It took only 10 minutes to find the woodpecker in the location
where I see him most. The bird was in the large cottonwood tree
on the hill 50 yards south of the Tree bridge over the creek.
(This large tree across the creek is 0.5 miles west of Airport Road).
The male Red-bellied Woodpecker was quite vocal again. I heard him
long before I reached the hillside and the cottonwood tree.
No Ferruginous Hawks were found today. Red-tailed Hawk count was 5.
Along the South Platte River, Adams County 2/5
I decided to get in a birding hike before the below 20 degree temps
and snow predicted for Thursday. My hike was along the S. Platte River
from 88th avenue & Colorado Blvd (Adams County) to Highway 224 and
back (with a side trip along Clear Creek from the Platte to York).
A male and female Barrow's Goldeneye were on the Platte, approximately
80 yards North of the Green/White Water Tower (approx. a mile south of
the parking area). Another male Barrow's Goldeneye was just south of the
Water Tower. I have not observed the two Long-tailed Ducks since 1/20.
The Harris's Sparrow was relocated just west of the second bench west
of the confluence of the Platte & Clear Creek. It was with a flock of
8-10 White-crowned Sparrows.
Clear Creek County 2/4
I spent the day with Daniela Heck-Garrett at Loveland Ski Basin.
Temperatures were in the middle 20s and it snowed off and on.
The Blue Grouse that has become their mascot finally made an
appearance during one of my visits (missed it the last two trips).
I sat near the feeder next to Lift #1 for about 3 hours. During my stay,
I believe there were at least three flocks of Rosy Finches. The largest
flock, which visited three times, contained 38 Gray-crowned and
14 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches (only 2 or 3 Hepburn’s). A smaller
flock (observed three times) had 21 Gray-crowned (9 Hepburn’s) and
5 Brown-capped Rosy Finches. The smallest flock (observed only once)
consisted of 7 Brown-capped, 5 Gray-crowned, and 1 juvenile Black RF.
Up to 5 Pine Grosbeak, 1 Gray Jay, many Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees
also visited the feeder. The White-throated Sparrow made two appearances
(one of which lasted for 25 minutes).
Daniela heard the White-tailed Ptarmigan along the Awesome Run
(Reached only by skiing from Lift #8).
Owl & Harris's Sparrow Search 2/2
Bill Ingram and I searched previous locations of Northern Pygmy-Owl
reports at 4:00am. None were found at Pine Valley Ranch (Jefferson
County), Red Rocks Park (Jefferson), and Golden Gate State Park.
Later we searched for the Harris's Sparrow previously observed
at the Confluence of the South Platte River & Clear Creek.
The bird was not found today. We did find 2 male & 2 female
Barrow's Goldeneyes along the river (near the green/white water tower).
Mountain Birding 2/1
Bill Ingram & I searched for Rosy Finches today.
We found only Brown-capped & Gray-crowned birds at Loveland
Ski Area (Clear Creek County). The White-throated Sparrow did not
make an appearance during our stay (it was reported later in the day).
We back tracked to Guanella Pass where it took only 40 minutes to
find 9 White-tailed Ptarmigan. The birds were west of the 603 trail
and south of the Rosalie Trail.
We next headed up to Kremmling (409 South 5th Street).
Fourteen Barrow's Goldeneyes were on the small pond at the
Blue River Water Treatment Plant. This pond is 3.0 miles south
of I70 (along highway 9) and is passed on the drive to Kremmling.
All three species of Rosy Finches were at the feeders upon our
arrival. Black Rosy Finches seemed to have the slight majority.
Our next stop was the Greater Sage Grouse Lek near Coalmont.
During a two hour hike around the area, we observed many
bird tracks, however no birds were found.
After dark we searched for Boreal Owls at Cameron Pass.
None were heard, however as on several of my previous trips,
the wind was roaring (nothing could be heard).
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